Create
Concert hall planned for new Tampa ‘entertainment district’
The 3,500-seat venue will fill a longstanding void in local entertainment options.
Bay area concert venues come in all shapes and sizes. A Tampa development group is planning a new auditorium – bigger than a theater and smaller than an arena – in the Water Street neighborhood, between the 20,000-seat Benchmark Arena and the Selmon Expressway.
Strategic Property Partners will build a 3,500-seat performance venue, which it will operate in partnership with Vinik Sports Group. The privately funded “walkable entertainment district,” which will also include a 250-room hotel, 100,000 square feet of retail, dining and entertainment and a parking for 1,000 vehicles, is expected to break ground in 2027.
Vinik Sports Group owns the Tampa Bay Lightning, and manages Benchmark, the hockey team’s home venue.
The proposed development includes a vacant parcel on Channelside Drive between Morgan and Jefferson Streets, and will be “a fully connected entertainment corridor for residents and visitors,” according to a prepared statement from Strategic Property Partners.
“This Water Street expansion moves Tampa forward as a top entertainment destination,” said Tampa Mayor Jane Castor in the statement. “It strengthens tourism and creates new experiences for residents and visitors, all within steps of the Riverwalk and Convention Center.”
This venue will fill a longstanding void in local entertainment options. Tampa Bay often misses out of concert tours by mid-level musical artists, because they’re too popular to play halls like Ruth Eckerd Hall or the Mahaffey Theater (approximately 2,000 seats) but not “big enough” for Benchmark, Raymond James Stadium or the outdoor amphitheaters in Tampa and Clearwater.
According to Steve Griggs, CEO of Vinik Sports Group, “Fans will see more shows, more often, and with greater variety. This district will strengthen the entertainment ecosystem surrounding the arena.”
